The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
IC engines have been in widespread use for over a century in various employments, owing to the convenience of their operation and the general availability of fuels upon which they depend. In addition to requiring a fuel, generally a hydrocarbon fuel, IC engines also require a source of oxygen for the fuel's combustion. Oxygen requirement for combustion of a fuel in an IC engine has come from the ambient air in the engine's surroundings, which air contains about 21% oxygen and about 78% nitrogen on a mass basis. Preferably, this air is filtered prior to being admitted into the combustion chambers of an IC engine, in order to remove dirt and debris which could otherwise have a detrimental effect on operability over the long term.
Many workers have sought over the years to increase performance and/or economy of operation of IC engines, by altering parameters associated with either or both the fuel requirement and the oxygen requirement. Many different fuels and additives including oxygenates and metal alkyls have been incorporated into fuels to enhance engine performance. On-board nitrous oxide tanks have been employed to provide enhanced combustion of fuel and greater performance. Other efforts relating to the non-fuel component of combustion included the creation and deployment of superchargers and turbochargers (hereinafter “forced induction”), for use in aviation. These systems survive to this day and may be found in diesel-driven equipment and performance-oriented automobiles.